1. Field
The disclosure relates to integrated circuit (IC) design, and more particularly, to the design of amplifiers, including low-noise amplifiers (LNA's).
2. Background
Receivers for wireless communications often incorporate a low-noise amplifier (LNA) in the radio-frequency (RF) front-end. The LNA may be designed to accommodate a wide range of power levels at the input to the receiver. For example, when the input to the receiver is at a high power level, the LNA must exhibit good linearity characteristics to avoid introducing non-linear distortion products into the LNA output. Conversely, when the input to the receiver is at a low power level, the LNA must exhibit high gain and low noise characteristics to adequately amplify the input signal without generating excessive noise. In amplifier design, the requirements of good linearity and low noise are often conflicting.
It would be desirable to provide techniques for designing an LNA that can accommodate a wide range of expected input power levels.